Blair Robertson

Full Bio

Mr. Robertson was an investment banker for nearly 20 years and has over US$100 billion in completed transaction experience.  He has extensive M&A experience (>US$80 billion) as well as significant ECM, DCM and restructuring experience (US$22bn across 50 capital raisings: 35 public market deals, 15 private market deals) across a broad group of sectors.  Mr. Robertson has held numerous senior positions, including Co-Head of Investment Banking, Asia and Head of Sectors, Asia (which included both investment banking and corporate banking).  Employers have included Lazard Freres, Credit Suisse First Boston/Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and The Royal Bank of Scotland/ABN AMRO. 

Mr. Robertson has executed numerous award winning and notable transactions across the globe.  Independently recognized “Deal of the Year” awards won by transactions led and executed by Mr. Robertson include Best Domestic M&A Deal in Asia in 2006, Best GDR/ADR in Asia in both 2007 and 2005, Best Equity-linked Deal in Asia in 2005, Best Secondary Deal in Asia in 2005, Best Deal in Singapore in 2006 and Best Deal in Korea in 2005.  Whilst in New York, as a junior banker, Mr. Robertson executed the largest and third largest M&A deals in history at the time of the transactions (MCI Communications’ US$42.7bn merger with WorldCom and SBC Communications’ US$23.8bn purchase of Pacific Telesis).

During his banking career, Mr. Robertson held a wide variety of committee responsibilities, including: Co-Head of the Investment Banking Management Committee in Asia, Co-Head of the Regional M&A Engagement Committee (Asia Pacific), Member of the Regional Equities Engagement Committee (Asia Pacific), Regional Capital Allocation Committee (Asia Pacific), Asia Pacific Banking Management Committee, Global M&A Engagement Committee, Global TMT Management Committee, Global TMT Capital Allocation Committee and the Asian Global Clients Management Team.

Mr. Robertson lived and worked in Asia (15 years) as well as in New York and San Francisco (4 years).   Prior to becoming an investment banker, Mr. Robertson spent over a year volunteering primarily with domestic female indigenous NGOs in remote areas of Central America followed by a year working and volunteering in Nanning and Wuhan, China.

Mr. Robertson currently teaches/has taught over 6,500 students in thirteen different finance courses across seven different programs at the Smith School of Business (“SSB”), including courses in the Executive MBA, Master of Finance – Toronto, Full-time MBA, Master of International Business, Accelerated MBA, GDB and Bachelor of Commerce programs.  Courses taught include: Investment Banking (MFIN 840), International Investment Banking (MGBL 822), Investments (MBAS 824), Corporate Valuation and Merger and Acquisition Analysis (MBAS 823), Investments and Portfolio Management (COMM 324), Advanced Managerial Finance (MBUS 813), Financial Strategy (MBUS 925), Corporate Financial Decision Making (COMM 323), Global Financial Institutions (COMM 329), Financial Management (GDB – MBAS 821), Finance Fundamentals (MBAS 821), Introduction to Finance (COMM 121) and Introduction to Finance (COMM 621/221).  

Mr. Robertson was the “Finance Expert in Residence” for 13 years for Smith’s Career Advancement Centre.  Students trained/coached successfully achieved employment at the world’s top hedge funds (including Bridgewater, Citadel, Point72, etc.), private equity firms (including Apollo, Ares, BC Partners, Blackstone, Carlyle, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, KKR, etc.), boutique investment banks (including Ardea, Centerview, Evercore, Greenhill, Lazard, Moelis, PJT, etc.) and bulge bracket banks (including Bank of America, Barclays, Citibank, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, CSFB/UBS, BMO, CIBC, RBC, Scotia, TD, etc.) in a variety of global financial centers including New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Hong Kong and London. 

Noting challenges facing diverse, and particularly female, students in accessing the knowledge necessary to succeed in a wide variety of finance careers, Mr. Robertson founded and built the largest undergraduate extracurricular and experiential program in Smith School of Business history, the “Investment Banking and Buyside Prep Program”.  The purpose of the Program was to empower all students with the confidence and knowledge necessary to pursue their dream careers in finance.  The weekly Program emphasized experiential learning and incorporated alumni and corporate experiences.  Over 11 years, almost 1,000 finance internships (over 700 full time positions) were achieved by students of the Program.  Notably, over 650 female students (1,800 total students) voluntarily participated in the year-long Program.  Female career achievement increased 3,000% (approximately 300 female students got jobs in investment banking or the buy side during the Program).  The Program brought alumni and world class financial institutions into to the classroom 50 times providing priceless experiential and networking opportunities for nearly 2,000 students.

Additionally, Mr. Robertson initiated, launched and ran (with the Career Advancement Centre) an annual “New York Trip” to provide access to Commerce students to opportunities on Wall Street.  He trained and took >150 students to New York over 10 years which grew Smith School of Business’ New York presence by more than ten times.  He was also the primary architect and instructor in the "Distinctly Finance Program" for Full Time MBA students for over a decade, amongst many other activities.

Mr. Robertson is conversant in Mandarin and Spanish.  He is also a professional portrait photographer and has photographed people across the globe, often in extreme conditions (www.blairrobertsonphotography.com).  Subjects have ranged from Balinese royalty to Olympic skateboarders to members of the award-winning band The Tragically Hip (aka Canadian royalty!).  He earned his H.B.A. from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Academic Degrees

BA | Honours, Business Administration (1992)
Western University, Canada

Academic Experience

Smith School of Business | Queen's University
Lecturer, continuing adjunct (2013 - Present)
Finance Expert in Residence, Career Advancement Center (2012 - Present)